Bird Toy Safety

Bird Toy Safety Information:

Birds need to have toys as it helps to keep them busy, it stimulates them and its fun and they love to chew. You always need to keep in mind Toy Safety for your feathered companion. The list provided below almost makes playing with toys seem like such a hazard and you may ask yourself 'why would I want to give my bird toys if there are many things to consider in keeping them out of harms way'? As a bird owner some of these things may never cross your mind that it could happen to a bird, but it does. The bird some how manages when you least expect it, can get caught or get hurt on a toy that you would never thought to be a danger. Be alert and aware of the dangers and look a head at the possible hazards that may follow after a bird has chew on a certain toy for a while, you may be able to prevent something from happening to your bird.

Some Good Reasons why Birds should always be supervised when playing with toys. Take every measure of precaution when it comes to toy safety, don't under estimate a bird's chewing capabilities.

Always be sure items are bird safe and is recommended for birds. Check toys regularly for hazards.

I can not emphasize enough to you about the safety of ropes. Keep ropes short, if ropes get untied you either need to re knot the rope or cut the excess off. Stringy ropes are great for birds getting caught in. The most safest cotton rope is the Supreme Cotton Rope™. With rope toys watch for excessive fraying if the length is too long, cut or re-tie knots in rope. A bird can get a foot or body entanglement in the rope and may not be able to free its self with out you're help.

Watch for all things that have been chewed on that the bird somehow can not get caught or hurt on it.

Make sure if your bird wears leg band, that the leg band can not get caught on some part of the toy.

Never give your bird Styrofoam of any kind to chew on as a toy, it can kill them if ingested. Many things can kill a bird if object are ingested, but Styrofoam is a definite no-no.

If given paper towel or toilet paper rolls to a bird, watch carefully especially with small birds such as Love Birds or Budgies as they have been known to get stuck in them if the tube should stand up on end and die due to suffocation if not known that they were in the paper roll. Cut the length of the roll so that it is short so they can keep their footing when playing with the tube.

Hanging toys should be hung so that it can't come off with the weight of the bird if its hanging from the toy.

Most birds do not eat wood pieces but still watch them carefully to make sure what it is they do with the pieces.

Preferably do not use wire to secure toys to the cage, many times birds get the wire loose enough then get the leg band caught in it and can't get away. Remember, if a bird can't get its foot or leg loose, they panic and will chew their foot off to free themselves.

Always put yourself in the position of 'What if I were bird, what would be a hazard to myself?' There are many times that you will put something in position and think it is safe, but only later to find out that it's not safe at all.

If a toy looks like it may not be safe then remove it and replace it with another one, or perhaps some of the pieces on it can be used towards another toy that you can make.

Don't flavor wood pieces when making toys, it is not a good idea. Birds may want to eat it if it tastes good to them.

The safest metal to use when it comes to hardware is "Stainless Steel". It does not rust or corrode. Nickel Plated is known to be safe too but can rust eventually. Zinc Plated is now frowned upon in the bird toy industry, altough there are some people who will still use it or sell it on bird related items.

Split key rings that are used to hang the toy are dangerous, if the bird splits apart the ring they can get their tongue or toe caught between where it splits. Split key rings should not be used on any bird toys. Wooden Clothes pins that have the wire spring on them are dangerous, too. For an clothes pin alternative use the wooden peg type. Certain fabrics that fray easily, the strands will entangle the bird.

When looping ropes, wire or anything else that requires a loop, make it small enough so the bird can not get its head stuck in the loop and hang its self.

Screws - a bird can get its leg band caught on the head of the screw and may not be able to free its self, this is common in an aviary. Perches and such things that are screwed together as the bird chews on the wood exposing the screw shaft, it can be a hazard as it can poke or jab them or they can fall or fly into it. Replace the wood when this happens or remove the exposed screw.

A bird should be given the appropriate size toy for the size of the bird species that it is. Don't give a Cockatiel a Amazon size toy. If its too big they may get hurt on it or they may not even play with it. Please use common sense when it comes to birds and their toys.

When closing 'S' hooks or 'O' rings on a toy be sure that they are closed very tightly, this will prevent leg bands or the leg from getting caught in the opening. You should always do a periodic check on any type of hardware or other toy parts that contain openings. For large birds if the gauge of the ring is not heavy enough the large birds can open the rings.

Take a look at the safe Supreme Cotton Rope that we use in our toys and sell.

Paulie Rope is what you should use when making your bird toys, or buying toys. If it's not the 'Paulie Rope' brand, you should not use any other poly ropes that you may find in hardware stores or markets, they are not bird safe. Stay out of the Hardware stores when it comes to ropes, none of those stores carry the type of ropes you need to make bird toys with. The small thin twines of any type, do not use any twines. The 'Supreme Cotton Rope' and the 'Paulie Rope' is one of the most safest ropes when it comes to bird safety. It is true they are the best by far, it is safety that we want for our birds! I have tested the 'Paulie Rope' and the 'Supreme Cotton Rope' with our small and large birds and they like it and it does what it is meant to do when it is torn apart, these are two great items that have proven the ultimate safety to me. They are two superior products and I would highly recommend them to any one to use in bird toy making, you can also purchase these two items on our site. Another cotton rope that has been developed in the last while is the Superior Cotton Rope which is pretty much the same type of rope. Like all ropes of any kind, lengths should be kept short when not toy parts on in place on the strand. Keep knots in place and keep ends short and trimmed.

Plastics should not be brittle type plastics that you give to birds as they can shatter. You have to be able to the difference between, hard, soft, brittle plastics. We do not sell any types of brittle type plastic items.

Remember, safety comes from being monitored, nothing in this world is one hundred percent safe.